A Forever Love
by Colanna
Summary: The story over time of a love that lasts forever and a promise of raising their beautiful little daughter. Ranma/Akane and their daughter Kimiko. Rated T for mild swearing in one later chapter. -Complete!
1. Hello Mommy!

A/N: These characters do not belong to me (except one) but I recently fell in love with this anime (I now love Ranma and Akane) and had a story pop into my head and I just had to write it down and share it. I think I have about 5 chapters that I will post, some will be longer than others, but it's mostly a short story with semi-short chapters as the complete story totals about 4000 words. So sorry, but the chapters won't be too long, but they will flow together nicely I think! I hope you enjoy it! Reviews are appreciated! :)

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A Forever Love

"Daddy, Daddy!" a young voice called out anxiously, "Can we please go see Mommy today? Pleeeeeeeassssee?"

Ranma smiled down at his 6 year old daughter, she was the spitting image of her mother, with big brown eyes and cute blue hair. She was adorable and hyper, with the patience of –well I guess neither of them had much patience, mind you they had changed a lot since becoming parents. Ranma chuckled to himself.

"Sure thing Kimi, we can stop and get her some pretty flowers too if you like!" he told his daughter while she nodded back up enthusiastically at him, "But we also have to visit Grandpa today too."

She smiled, "Yeah, Grandpa and Mommy, yaaaay!" She jumped up and down in circles as her father laughed at her excitement.

They stopped at a florist on the way to the hospital to pick out a beautiful bouquet. Kimi decided since purple was her favourite colour, it had to be Mommy's too and Ranma paid for a gorgeous bouquet of various purple flowers. "Mommy's gonna love it!" Kimi said in a proud and awed voice as she stared happily at the pretty flowers. Ranma smiled, walking beside her, of course she would. Akane loved everything her daughter picked out!

"We'll visit Grandpa first, okay Kimi?" his daughter nodded as she ran down the hall to her grandfather's hospital room.

"Grandpa, Grandpa!" she called excitedly running over to give him a hug. Grandpa Tendo eagerly embraced his granddaughter and pulled her up onto his lap. "Will you be in here much longer Grandpa?" she asked him, looking at the tube sticking into his left arm in vague interest.

"Nope," he replied, tweaking her nose as she giggled, "I get to go home tomorrow!"

"That's wonderful," Ranma said, sitting in the chair next to the bed, "the girls will be happy to have you back home!"

Grandpa Tendo smiled and nodded, then pointed at the flowers, "those for me or are you going to visit Akane today?" he asked with a smile.

"Those are for Mommy!" Kimi said as she started prattling on about all sorts of things her 6-year-old mind found interesting. Grandpa Tendo was thrilled with her stories, she reminded him exactly of Akane at that age. He smiled fondly down at his granddaughter, nodding whenever she seemed to require some form of agreement with her stories. God, she was exactly like Akane!

After a short visit, it was time to go and Ranma took his daughter's hand as they headed to the elevator.

"Can we go see Mommy now?" she asked with pleading eyes.

"Of course we can," Ranma replied, ruffling her hair.

A short while later, Kimi tugged her father's arm to pull him down to her level, "Can I give Mommy the flowers?" she asked, whispering in his ear, as if afraid her mother would hear her.

Ranma smiled softly and handed the bouquet over to her, "Of course, she will love getting flowers from you!"

Kimi jumped up and down in glee and took the flowers from her father before rushing over to the tombstone.

"Look what we brought for you, Mommy!" Kimi said, placing the flowers carefully in front of the tombstone that read, 'In memory of a Deeply Loved Daughter, Sister, Wife, and Mother; Akane Saotome, you'll be forever in our hearts.'


	2. Birth of a Family

A/N: Chapter 2! Now we start moving back and forth through time, so that you can learn the whole story :) Please review!

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"Look what we brought for you, Mommy!" Kimi said, placing the flowers carefully in front of the tombstone that read, 'In memory of a dear Daughter, Sister, Wife, and Mother; Akane Saotome you'll be forever in our hearts.'

Kimi sat down on the grass in front of her mother's tombstone. "Guess what Mommy, this week I made a new friend! There was a new boy in my class on Monday and he looked lonely and I went and talked to him. Now we have lunch together almost every day! Daddy says I'm a lot like you, he said you always made friends easily because you were so nice and friendly! I'm glad I'm like you Mommy. We also went to visit Grandpa at the hospital and he can come home tomorrow! I'm so excited! Now I can see him when I go visit Aunties Nabiki and Kasumi! He loves to tell me stories about you when you were my age. You were pretty funny Mommy!"

Ranma steps in and sits down next to his daughter, listening with a bittersweet smile on his face as she talks to the mother she barely got to know.

Kimi glanced at her father then continued in an almost whisper to her Mom, "Grandpa said you grew up without your mommy too. Was it hard? You must have been very sad, because I'm sad whenever I think about you too much. I can remember you singing to me though and that makes me happy. I miss you Mommy. I wish you could come back and live with Daddy and me, he misses you too! But I know you have an important job up there in heaven, watching over us! Please keep Daddy safe for me Mommy, I love you!" She looked up at her father with a soft smile, "I'm done, Daddy, it's your turn. Can I play in the flowers?"

Ranma glanced at the flower garden about 20 meters from where they were sitting and nodded, "Just make sure you can see me at all times, okay Kimi?" She nodded and skipped off. Ranma watched her go.

"She reminds me so much of you, Akane. Her spirit, her personality, her smile and even her laugh! She is going to grow up to be just like you! She's quite the tomboy but maybe a little girlier than you were because she likes her dolls in addition to her martial arts lessons. Though she does make them learn as well," he said with a laugh. He sighed, picking up a blade of grass and twisting it through his fingers, "This is hard without you Akane. Every second I worry about her, fear that she's going to run into some sort of trouble like you or I did, but then I try to remember that she's only 6 and how much trouble can she get into? But then when I pick her up from school with paint all over her clothes and her teacher telling me she had decided to do alternative art for art class, I can't help but wonder!

"I wish you were here, Akane, you deserve to watch her grow up, after all you did most of the work, right?" he laughed, remembering the day Kimiko was born.

_6 years earlier_

"Ranmaaaaa," a scream could be heard piercing the house.

"Should –should I go up there?" Ranma asked, anxiously wringing his hand together.

"Trust me son, it is best to let the doctor and the women who know what is going on to help, you don't want to get in the way!" His father told him.

But another scream sent Ranma flying up the stairs. "I'm here Akane," he said, appearing next to her bed, "take my hand."

Squeezing his hand with all her strength as she pushed, Akane let out another scream as Ranma soothingly brushed her damp hair out of her face.

"You can do it, Akane," he whispered lovingly. She met his eyes and nodded, before closing them and squeezing his fingers in a vice grip as she pushed as hard as she possibly could.

A soft cry could be heard, which got louder and louder and after a minute of quick examination, Dr. Tofu turned and smiled at them, "Congratulations, it's a girl!"

Akane opened her arms and Dr. Tofu placed the tiny baby into them, wrapped in a soft cloth.

"She's beautiful," Ranma whispered, kneeling next to his wife and new daughter.

The baby, having calmed after being placed onto her mother's warm chest, blinked twice before closing her eyes.

"She has your eyes, Akane," Ranma said smiling and gently stroking his new daughter. "Just look at what we made!"

"We?" Akane said with a small humph, "I do think I did most of the work!"

Ranma smiled, "Yeah I suppose you did."

"Well, you helped, a little!" she said wrinkling her nose and winking at him. She brushed the baby's fuzz at the top of her head, "I hope she has your hair," she said smiling.

Ranma shook his head, "I hope she has your beautiful hair," he said, standing up and pulling on a strand.

Akane laughed and looked down at their daughter before back up at her husband, "What should we name her?"

Ranma sat down next to her in the bed and thought briefly before shyly suggesting, "What about Kimiko?"

Akane thought about it, "Kimiko Saotome," she smiled, "Kimi… I like the sound of that." She leaned her head onto Ranma's shoulder and whispered down to their new daughter, "Welcome to the family, Kimi."


	3. Goodbye

A/N: A new chapter for you all! A slight warning of swear words in this chapter. It's a little sad, but I hope you all enjoy it! Don't worry, I have some sweet chapters coming up soon :) Reviews are appreciated! Much love!

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_Akane thought about it, "Kimiko Saotome," she smiled, "Kimi… I like the sound of that." She leaned her head onto Ranma's shoulder as he was seated next to her on the bed and whispered down to their new daughter, "Welcome to the family, Kimi."_

Chapter 3: Goodbye

Ranma smiled as he remembered the day his daughter was born and the first few months of having her at home, how harried they both were, trying to take care of a newborn! Ha, their tempers were so short that month they had lapsed back into name-calling! He glanced over at the flower garden to check on Kimi. She seemed to be completely engrossed in picking flowers so he turned back to Akane.

"It's just not the same without you, Akane. You're missing all the good stuff, her first day of school, her making friends, learning. She even kicked me hard enough to hurt me mildly in practice yesterday! I was so proud!" Ranma shared with a smile. "I know you're watching over us, but I wish you hadn't had to go, I just miss you so much! It's like there's this giant ache in my heart since you left us Akane, and no matter how wonderful our daughter is, no matter how beautiful and smart she is and how happy she makes me, I just feel like I can't ever be truly happy again, not completely. Not since the day you… not since that day…"

_2 years ago_

He had come out of nowhere, this guy, proclaiming everlasting love for Akane.

"Fuck off Jackass," Ranma yelled at him angrily, "Akane is MY Wife!"

"Oh beautiful, Akane," the crazy nutter –or so Ranma believed him to be- said, "Won't you leave this pathetic excuse for a man and come live with me in my beautiful home! I'll give you everything you'll ever need!" he proclaimed, taking her by the hand, "I love you my sweet!"

"Oh that does it," Ranma said as he strode over to pick the guy up by the scruff of his neck, but not before Akane got a good smack across his face in. He looked the guy directly in the face as he growled, "Stay away from my family you psycho! Or I will not be responsible for what I do to you!" and he threw him over the wall and wiped his hands together as if to say good riddance.

"Mommy," said little four-year-old Kimi, "What does 'fuck' mean?"

Akane's face turned red in anger as she yelled, "Ranma!"

"Shit," Ranma said to himself, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ranma! Look out!" Akane yelled again suddenly and he turned to see the psycho guy back and with a sword. Ranma rolled his eyes and jumped up to fight the guy.

After a few blows back and forth, Ranma realized his opponent wasn't a total weakling, 'Well at least I'll get a good workout from this guy,' he thought.

They exchanged blows, Ranma always leaping nimbly out of the way of any attack. His opponent, as if realizing he couldn't get a hit on Ranma with a close range weapon, decided to change his strategy. He dropped his sword and started to use projectile weapons, small sharp arrowheads that Ranma could easily dodge.

Ranma laughed, "Is that all you got, jackass? My wife can do more damage than you!" His opponent growled and continued his attack, this time releasing numerous projectiles at once.

All of a sudden Ranma heard a soft scream from Akane, "Kimi, get back here immediately!"

"But I wanna watch Daddy fight the bad man!" Kimi yelled to her mother.

Ranma turned to see his daughter next to the koi pond watching with interest.

"Come here immediately!" Akane said, fear just breaking the surface of her voice as she raced towards her daughter.

Ranma felt a whoosh as one of the projectiles flew past his ear. He turned back to his fight to focus on his opponent. He needed to get him out of there immediately! He couldn't have this psycho putting his daughter's safety at risk. He nimbly dodged another attack midair and decided enough was enough. He touched down on the ground for half a second before projecting himself directly towards his opponent. His opponent, seeing him come towards him immediately threw projectile after projectile that Ranma twisted to avoid, but as he came in to land the final blow on his opponent, he heard a tortured scream.

"KIIIIMMMIIIII!"

As his punch made contact with the man's face, Ranma's head whipped around to see Akane diving in front of her daughter and taking three of the arrowheads into her front.

"AKANE!" Ranma screamed, pushing the man into the ground with his punch so he could redirect himself in her direction.

"Akane, Akane!" he cried running next to her. Seeing the blood, he whispered, 'shit!' "It's okay, Akane, Dr. Tofu is here, we'll have him take care of you immediately, you'll be fine," he reassured her as he attempted to stop the blood flow with his hands. He ripped off his shirt to press it against her front as tears started to well in his eyes. "You'll be fine, Akane, we'll get you through this."

A hand was placed on top of his own. He looked up through his tears to see Akane smiling softly at him.

"It's okay, Ranma," she whispered, "I knew what I was doing."

Ranma shook his head, "No, you can't, I won't let you!"

Akane smiled in spite of her pain at his stubbornness. "Ranma, please promise me something."

"Anything, Akane, anything," he said, staring into her eyes.

"Promise me you will raise our daughter yourself," Akane said, before coughing slightly, "She –she needs you Ranma."

"No," he whispered, "She needs us, you have to help me, Akane, I can't do it alone, I need you!"

"Promise me," Akane whispered to him, using all her strength to grasp his hand. "You have to be there as she grows up, gets married, and has kids. She will need you, you can't leave her!"

"You can't leave me, Akane; you can't leave us! We can raise her together."

She squeezed his hand as tight as she could, "Promise me, Ranma," she said looking straight into his eyes.

"Stubborn tomboy," he whispered to her as tears slid down from his eyes, "I –I promise."

"Good," she whispered, dropping his hand, "Tell her always how much I love her."

Ranma watched as her breaths grew more labored, "I will."

"And always remember, I love you," she said softly.

Crying openly now, Ranma leaned over his wife to kiss her softly on the lips, "I love you too, Akane, forever."

She smiled up at him through her own tears, "I'll be waiting for you."

"You better be," he whispered, gazing down at her full of love and sadness. Slowly, her eyes closed, her head dropped slightly to the left and her breathing halted. Fresh tears flooded down Ranma's face as he whispered, "Akane."

"AKANE!" Not a soul could doubt the heart wrenched pain in his scream to the heavens as he sobbed over his wife's body.

His challenger had fled the scene, regretful and terrified. He saw the love that he had just destroyed; it would haunt him for the rest of his days.

Kimi, who had been knocked down, was dazed, but had watched in horror from where her mom had pushed her. She slowly crawled over to her father. "Daddy?" she asked with tears in her eyes, "What happened to Momma?"

Ranma grabbed his daughter in a tight hug as he whispered, "it's just us now, sweetheart, it's just us."

_Present Day_

Tears streamed down Ranma's face as he remembered what had taken the love of his life away from him. If he ever saw that man again…! He sighed, "My life is so empty without you, Akane. There is a hole in my heart, just waiting for you… I love you, forever."

He got up and bowed respectfully before her grave, as if to ask permission to leave, before heading over to pick up his daughter in the flower garden.

Kimi had a small bundle of flowers in her hands, which she presented to her father happily.

"Who are those for?" he asked, "More for Mommy?"

Kimi shook her head with a smile, "These ones are for you, Daddy!"

"For me!" Ranma asked.

She nodded, "You get so sad visiting Mommy, I just wanted to cheer you up!"

Ranma lifted his daughter onto his shoulders, smelling the flowers before handing them up to her and asking her to hold them until they got him. As they left the gravesite, he glanced over at Akane's grave, 'We're getting by,' he thought, 'but only because of Kimi.'


	4. Understanding and Growing Up

A/N: Sorry for the late update, I had a lot of exams and final papers to work on, but now they are all done, so Holidays, whoohoo -which also means updates! :) Here's the next segment in my story, I combined 2 chapters in one, because otherwise the second would be too short! I hope you all enjoy it, and please review! Much love!

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Ranma lifted his daughter onto his shoulders, smelling the flowers before handing them up to her and asking her to hold them until they got him. As they left the gravesite, he glanced over at Akane's grave, 'We're getting by,' he thought, 'but only because of Kimi.'

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_Ranma woke up yawning, and smiled to see his beautiful wife, laying next to him in bed. He growled playfully and pulled her snug up against his front._

"_Ranma," she laughed, "leave me alone, it's time to get up!"_

"_No," he growled, nipping at the side of her neck._

_Sighing, she turned to face him before pulling him down for a deep kiss._

"_I love you, Akane," he whispered to her, pulling his lips off of her for a second._

"_I love you, too," she murmured back before pulling his lips down again._

"DADDY!"

_Ranma groaned against his wife's lips. She giggled, "Sounds like someone is up, Daddy!"_

"_Nope, I'm not leaving this bed," he whispered._

"DADDEEEEEEE!" the little girl's voice called again loudly.

"_You have to," Akane whispered to him, "it's her birthday! It's okay, I'll wait for you."_

"Daddy!"

Ranma opened his eyes in a flash to see a little girl jumping on his bed. Completely disoriented, he glanced over at the clock next to the picture of his wife that was flashing 7 am.

He sighed, 'Akane…'

"Daddeeee," Kimi cried, shaking him madly, "Wake up!"

"Nope!" Ranma said, "I'm still sleeping!"

Kimiko giggled, "No you're not! You're talking to me! Plus I just saw your eyes open! Come on, Daddy, it's my birthday! You promised to take me out for breakfast and to the zoo today!"

"Yeah, but not this early!" Ranma grumbled.

Kimi giggled and started poking her dad.

"Stop that," he said, but she kept poking him, all over his arms, head and stomach, "Stop that!" he grumbled grabbing her hand.

"Or else what?" she asked, poking him with her other hand.

"Or else the monster is gonna EAT YOU!" Ranma yelled, jumping out of bed as his daughter dashed off down the hall giggling madly.

Ranma smiled after his daughter and glanced back at the picture of his wife on his bedside table, 'Wish you were here, Akane' he whispered before running off down the hall to chase his giggling daughter.

They had a successful visit to the zoo, effectively avoiding all large cats, not wanting a repeat of last time. Ranma shivered in remembrance. He smiled down at his birthday girl. She had a princess crown on and was carrying the stuffed monkey she had fallen in love with and he had agreed to buy for her; but she had a frown on her face.

Ranma followed her gaze to a family, where the mother was holding her daughter and whispering in her ear, the father was handing his son his ice cream and the two children were smiling happily.

"Come on, Kimi," Ranma said, giving her hand a tug. He took her over to a park bench and sat with her in the shade.

They sat there in silence for a few moments, before Kimi spoke up, "Daddy," she whispered, "Can I ask you a question?"

Ranma looked down at his daughter's downcast face next to him and responded, "Of course!"

"Do you hate me?"

Ranma jerked back, shocked at his daughter's question. He pulled her up onto his lap and into a fierce hug, "Of course not, Kimi!" He exclaimed, "I love you, very very much, more than anything else in the world!"

"Do you mean it?" she asked, sniffing, as tears brimmed in her eyes.

He nodded, "I promise it's the truth."

"Even though I killed Mommy?"

Ranma was even more shocked by that statement. Well that would explain the question, she thought she had killed her mother.

"Have you been worried about this for the last 3 years?" he asked his daughter softly.

She nodded and Ranma pulled her close into a hug again. "Okay there are a few things you need to understand, Kimi, the first is that you did not kill your mother. It was in no way, shape, or form your fault. Do you understand me?"

His daughter bobbed her head in response against her father's chest.

"Good," he said, smiling softly. "Your mother's death was an unfortunate accident, but she knew exactly what she was doing. Do you know who she loved most in the entire world?" Kimi shook her head in response. "She loved you, Kimi. She was your mother and she loved you more than anything else. She couldn't bear for anything to happen to you, so that's why she did it. She knew what she was doing; she knew the consequences, but if it meant you got to live, then she knew it was the right decision."

"But if I hadn't been in the way, Mommy wouldn't have had to do it at all!" Kimi whispered.

"Honey," Ranma responded, "You were four years old, it wasn't your fault. Mommies will do anything for their babies, anything! If anyone is to blame, it would be me more than you, I'm the one who jumped out of the way."

Kimi shook her head, "It's not your fault, Daddy!" she said.

"Exactly," Ranma replied, "It is not my fault or your fault; it's the fault of the bad man who was trying to take Mommy away from us. He succeeded, but not in the way he meant to. I'm sure he is very sorry," –the evil bastard' Ranma thought while continuing, "but it was his fault because he is the one who was attacking. So it wasn't mine and it definitely wasn't yours! Okay, sweetheart?"

Kimi nodded smilling, a weight lifted off her chest. She in all of her now 7 years, had been so worried that is was all her fault and her Daddy hated her. But it wasn't! It was the bad man! "Thank you, Daddy," she whispered, hugging him as fiercely as a 7-year-old could, "I love you!"

Ranma wrapped his arms around his daughter, sad that she had thought such terrible things for the last few years, "I love you too, Kimi." He vowed to try harder to understand what was going on with her, so that she could talk to him about everything. He wanted to be the best father he could be.

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As the years went by, Ranma and Kimi became closer, but Kimi started worrying about her father. He always looked so lonely and she wished she could do something to help him, but she didn't yet understand that right now she was all he needed.

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A twelve-year-old Kimi came home to her father eating ramen and watching TV.

"What's up, Kimi?" he asked, patting the spot next to him on the couch, "Have a good day at school?"

She nodded at her father, nervous, but decided to just go for it, "Daddy?" she asked.

He glanced at her, still shoveling food into his mouth.

"Do you ever think about getting remarried?"

"Ppppppttt" Ranma's noodles flew across the room, "WHAT?" he asked his daughter.

Kimi shrunk back on the couch, "Well it's just that all their moms say how hot you are and how sad it is that you're raising me alone and that you should get married again." She didn't mention how her friends had agreed on how hot her dad was, gross!

"Stupid meddling, busybodies," Ranma muttered. He sighed and turned to his daughter, "No, Kimi, I am not and will not ever get married again. Your mother was the only woman I'll ever love and want to marry. She isn't just part of my heart, but a part of my soul and I miss her each and every day. And I love taking care of you, I don't need someone to help me! Besides I'm not raising you alone, I have Grandpa and your Aunties to help me. I don't need or want another wife. Your mother was one of a kind, exactly like you, and I can't ever replace her or move on."

Kimiko smiled softly with tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry, Daddy, I didn't mean to make you sad!"

"You didn't make me sad, sweetheart," he said pulling her in for a hug, "You always make me happy. You're all I need until it's time for you to fall in love and have your own family, then, someday, when my job with you is done and I have happily watched you grow up into a beautiful woman, then I will allow myself to find my true love again. But until then, I am perfectly happy with it being just you and me!" he smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Are you sure? Because Tomoko's mom thinks you're damn sexy!" Kimi said with a wink.

Ranma groaned in disgust, "Please spare me," thinking of the abrasive and overly flirtatious, blonde haired bimbo mother of Tomoko, "I definitely don't want that!"

Kimi giggled, "Well maybe I shouldn't have given her your number then!"

Ranma roared as she jumped off the couch and raced around the couch to the kitchen. He leaped up after her, "You did not!" he yelled.

"Of course not," she called back in glee, with a finger resting thoughtfully on her cheek, "or was that of course I did?"


	5. Starting Forever

A/N: Merry Christmas/Holidays to Everyone! Here's my second last chapter, I hope you all enjoy and as always, please review!

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Ranma watched his daughter grow up into a beautiful and intelligent young lady. She attended university, got her degree and set out in the world, always sticking close to home. She liked travelling and would visit all sorts of places with her friends and Ranma was proud of the stories and knowledge she would share when she came back. One day she came back with a man. He introduced himself and later, when it was just the two of them, he asked Ranma's permission to marry Kimi. Ranma smiled at him asking, remembering how he and his wife were forced together by their fathers, but ended up falling in love anyway.

Ranma asked him, "How much do you love my daughter?"

The man replied without hesitation, "I would die for her."

Ranma closed his eyes and nodded his assent. Then, a week later, when his daughter came home with the hugest smile on her face, he knew what was happening. Before he knew it, she was married, then she had kids, and her kids had kids of their own. Ranma loved his growing family, but at night he would sigh and glance at the empty side of the bed and whisper, "Goodnight Akane."

He sat there, staring out the window, lost in memory of the best days of his life. He remembered how nervous he had been back then, but man it was worth it.

_When Ranma was 20_

They still fought almost all the time, but the fighting had changed, it was more charged in a way, and their teasing had changed to hide the admiration that was developing for the other. The other day, Ranma had once again been caught, entangled with Shampoo and instead of hitting him, Akane had sighed sadly and just closed the door and walked away.

Ranma had quickly pushed Shampoo off of him and sent her away, annoyed with her attempts and timing. He leaned down from the roof to glance into Akane's room. She just sat on her bed, tears brimming at the edges of her eyes. Angrily she brushed them away. "That's it! I'm done!" she said to herself. She looked at the picture of her and Ranma that she held in her hands and nodding to herself as if strengthening her resolve, she tore it in half.

Ranma's eyes widened. They were friends now, why would she? Unless… his brain started to go a thousand miles a minute. They had admitted to each other that they cared for each other, and well he knew he loved her, he was just too shy and proud to tell her. If they were just friends, she wouldn't have been so upset, so that must mean… Ranma's eyes widened as he sat up on the roof again. Did Akane actually love him?

Akane had been avoiding contact with him for the last two days, spending time with that damn Ryoga. Ranma growled at the thought. But finally, his master plan was ready. That night when Akane came down to supper, dressed in a cute dress, Ranma didn't even give her the time to say a word before snatching her under his arm and leaping off into the night.

Everyone at the table stared after them in shock, but Nabiki. She smiled and said, "You owe me 5000 yen, Pops." He shook his head, "This doesn't mean anything, Nabiki!" She just smiled, "By the end of the night, Dad, I'll be 5000 yen richer, count on it!"

Akane had been too shocked at first to say anything, but now that she realized she was being kidnapped, she started screaming, "Put me down, Ranma! Put me down immediately!"

Ranma glanced down at the ground meters underneath them and smirked back at her, "Are you sure you want me to do that?"

She followed his gaze down, and seeing how high up they were, she just said "oh" in surprise. After that she angrily didn't say a word.

Finally, they came to a grass covered hill and Ranma put her down at the bottom.

"What the hell are we doing here, Ranma?" she asked angrily. "Why did you drag me away like this?"

He smiled, "Well, it was the only way I could get a stubborn girl like you to come with me. I have a surprise for you!"

Akane's eyes widened in shock and delight. "A surprise?" she asked curiously.

"Follow me," he responded, climbing nimbly to the top of the hill. She followed him up the hill, through some trees and into a clearing that, to her secret delight had a picnic blanket spread out and a basket with food in it.

"Ranma?" she asked softly, "why?"

"I -I just wanted to surprise you."

"But there has to be a reason?"

Ranma looked at her nervously, he had wanted to wait and do it at the end of the meal, but he should have realized Akane wouldn't wait for answers, she was too stubborn and impatient. He sighed, running his hand through his hair. He grabbed her hand and brought her over to the blanket. She sat softly and he glanced down, smiling; she looked so pretty with her skirt fanned out around her, her big beautiful eyes staring up at him with an unspoken question.

"Akane, you know I don't really like Shampoo like that, don't you?"

Akane stiffened, "Your actions seem to speak against that Ranma." She said crossing her arms.

He looked at her and flopped to the ground next to her, "I'm serious, I don't give two shits about the girl, other than she could be a cool friend to have. I don't love her and definitely do not want to marry her, or Ukyo."

Akane looked at him curiously as she waited for him to continue.

"You see, Akane," he said, staring up into the evening sky, "the only girl that I'm in love with has this amazing determination, some may call it stubbornness, but I see it as both. She is strong-willed and can defend herself better than anyone else I've ever met. She doesn't rely on others for help, but rushes to their aid without a second thought about herself. She may be called a tomboy, but she is also sweet and kind and beautiful. The girl I'm in love with has this gorgeous short hair that the wind blows across her face and just makes me want to run my hands through it."

Akane listened to Ranma speaking, a blush spreading across his face, he couldn't mean it, could he?

Ranma continued, turning so that he faced her. He reached out to brush a strand of her hair behind her ear and to turn her face to look at him. "The girl I'm in love with, Akane, loves to fight, is a terrible cook, and can hit me so hard that I can't see straight." He smiled, "but I wouldn't change anything about her for the entire world, because she's perfect… you're perfect Akane, for me."

Akane finally looked up into his eyes as he delivered his final line, "You mean it?" she whispered, eyes wide with hope and wonder.

He nodded, "I want to marry you, Akane, I'm in love with you."

Akane threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a hug, holding him as close as she possible could. She sighed, breathing in his scent, and whispered, "I love you too, Ranma."

He pulled back from the hug a little, "Does this mean you'll marry me? Me asking you because I want to marry you, because I love you and not because our fathers wanted us engaged?"

Her smile grew even larger as she nodded vigorously, "Of course!"

Ranma pulled a ring out of his pocket and slid it onto her finger. She stared down at it in surprise. "I've had this for a year," he whispered to her, lacing his fingers through hers.

She smiled up at him, tears in her eyes as she wrapped her free hand around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Finally, they were together, where they belonged.

_Present Day_

Ranma sighed as he shifted in his chair, this dang uncomfortable thing. He would much rather be running across those trees… but once you get to a certain age and lose some eyesight, they don't like to let you run around at night anymore! He had just fallen one damn time! He sighed, he had had no injuries, but his family was worried about him and didn't want him running around in the dark anymore. He glanced down at his hands, how they had changed over the years, the scars, the wrinkles, the new lines. Then he stared at his wedding band, still on his left ring finger. He had never taken it off, not since the day she slipped it on his finger.

_Ranma, aged 21_

He waited nervously in his room. This was it; this was the day his life changed! He couldn't believe it was happening. He was so nervous… why, he didn't know. He just wanted to marry her and have her all to himself, be damned all her other suitors! Now they would finally know who she belonged with.

His Dad came in and patted him on the shoulder, "It's time son."

Ranma nodded and turned, looking up at his dad, "Thanks," he said, silently thanking him for bringing him here and allowing him to have such a wonderful future. His Dad smiled and nodded and escorted his son into the dojo where the ceremony was taking place.

Ranma waited anxiously as the ceremony began and different people walked down the aisle to stand next to him. He didn't notice, all he had eyes for was that door, for the moment Akane appeared.

And so, she appeared, dressed head to toe in beautiful white, a lace veil covering her face as her dad walked her down the aisle. The moment she saw him, her eyes lit up and a smile spread across her face. Ranma smiled too, happier than he had ever been in his entire life.

When Mr. Tendo gave him Akane's hand, he squeezed it, looking into her eyes, "Ready?" he asked her. She nodded, "Forever is waiting for us," she replied, a smile across her face as she stood next to him to take their vows.

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A/N: One more chapter to goooooo! xoxo


	6. Forever

A/N: Hey Everyone! I want to thank you for reading my story and also apologize for being so late with this last chapter! I meant to post it several weeks ago, but I was having problems logging into my account :/ But it's all fixed now! This is officially the last chapter of the story, it's short, but there was only a small section left to finish off the story. I hope you all enjoy it and once again, I would love reviews! :) Happy New Year to everyone! xoxo

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_When Mr. Tendo gave him Akane's hand, he squeezed it, looking into her eyes, "Ready?" he asked her. She nodded, "Forever is waiting for us," she replied, a smile across her face as she stood next to him to take their vows._

"Daddy?"

Ranma shook his head out of his daydream. Kimi looked at him with sadness; she could see the melancholy longing in his eyes for days long gone and a love lost to him. The ache for her mother had never faded, never left him, no matter how many years went by.

"Daddy," she whispered.

He looked up at her. She had aged well; her 65 years didn't make her look that old at all. 'Must be the genes,' he thought.

She sat down facing him on the bed, "Daddy," she began, knowing now that she had his attention, "Your job is done."

He looked at her in confusion, "What do you mean? I've still got kids I'm teaching in the dojo and –"

"No," she cut him off, "I don't mean your employment, I mean your job, as a father, in raising me."

"What do you mean?" he whispered, even more confused.

"Daddy, I'm a grown up now, hell I'm a Grandma! I think I can handle myself from here on in."

He smiled at her, she sounded just like her mother. Then realization spread across his face, "You mean?"

"Your job is done, Dad, I can take it from here." She said with a smile and tears pooling at the corners of her eyes.

"I love you, Kimi," he whispered, "So much, I was so lucky to have you in my life."

She nodded, "I love you too, Dad, and I was lucky to have you! You were the best Dad a girl could ever ask for!" she said, giving him a huge hug.

He returned her embrace and kissed her on the forehead.

"I'll miss you Dad," she whispered, "Say hi to Mom for me." She hugged him fiercely a moment longer, tears welling in both their eyes and streaming down their faces.

As she left the room, Ranma lay back on his bed, hearing her words repeated in his head, "your job is done" and he smiled, a truly happy smile and whispered, "I'm coming, Akane."

The coroners were confused. Ranma Saotome had been an extremely healthy man, healthier than many half his age! His mind was sound and he had been working and teaching in his dojo every day! They couldn't understand his sudden death.

When questioning his daughter, she just smiled with tears in her eyes, "It was just time for him to go. He needed to move on."

They didn't understand what she meant and wrote down their report, Ranma Saotome, age 88, died in his sleep.

Kimi looked up at the sky, smiling, "Goodbye Daddy, and thank you."

Ranma opened his eyes; he was completely disoriented. "Where am I?" he wondered aloud. He sat up, but his body didn't move with him. He could see it before him in his bed, not moving, 'What's going on?' he thought.

"Ranma," a voice called out softly from above him, offering her hand.

He grabbed it and pulled himself up toward her, "Akane?"

She smiled at him as he took in her smile, her body, just her essence. She looked exactly as she had when he had first fallen in love with her. He looked down and jumped in shock, to see his own body back to its 16-year-old strength and form.

Was this really happening?

He looked up at his beautiful wife as he had first truly fallen in love and whispered, softly, as though his heart would burst if she responded, "Akane? Am I? Are you really here?"

"Your job is done, Ranma, you did a wonderful job, Kimi is beautiful and sweet. I am so proud of you both." His heart began to beat faster as he listened. Just as his daughter had told him, his wife repeated the words. He glanced back down to see his old body in the bed getting farther and farther away.

"Does this mean…" he whispered, eyes hopeful as he stepped closer to her and brushed a strand of hair out of her beautiful face.

She nodded, the joy spreading across his face and coursing through his veins as she smiled back, pure happiness radiating out of her as well. She placed a hand on the side of his face and then slowly leaned in for a sweet and everlasting kiss, "I told you I would wait for you, Ranma," she whispered and their lips finally touched, sealing their love forever.


End file.
